Music Labyrinth Episode 015
Should I Stay Or Should I Go / The Clash
Hello and welcome to what is - technically - episode 15 of The Music Labyrinth. I say "technically" because we've taken a small diversion from our usual format, which we will return to next week. The reason for our detour is because the date of broadcast of this episode coincides with a personal boundary for me between a state of full time work and a state of voluntary full time non-work. So, this week we are all celebrating with me - HOORAY! - and focusing on songs of celebration, liberation, transition or ending. Another slight departure from the norm this week is that the songs we will be playing are already linked with each other in that they have been either selected by me or nominated by you, so the usual first degree of separation will not necessarily apply this week. But - where a linkage is apparent - I will try to highlight it as we go. We kicked of with The Clash from 1982 and Should I Stay Or Should I Go because, despite it being a question I did not ask myself more than a single time, it still marks a nice place to start this small journey. The Clash were often lined up alongside The Jam in comparative critiques about which was the best band. I don’t think anyone knows who won. But we do know that Paul Weller from The Jam went on to significant achievements in rock music, one of which was this song about self-empowerment and not necessarily accepting the status quo. Its also, I reckon, a song with a celebratory air. Here is the Style Council with Walls Come Tumbling Down.
Walls Come Tumbling Down / The Style Council
Independence Day (Live) / Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band
You are back with The Music Labyrinth and just before the break, from the 40 track album Live 1975-85, that was Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band with Independence Day, a song about taking steps in a new direction along life’s highway. As it turns out, the internet is full of references to Bruce Springsteen covering David Bowie songs and vice versa, which provides me with the key to our next door. If you are talking about music about transition, its hard to go past this.
Changes / David Bowie
A great supporter of this show is our listener Pancho Pete. Pete is also a person who has trodden the path I am about to embark upon, and so his is advice that I will heed. Pete suggests that transition of this nature can require a person to re-learn how to go about their life without a full time vocation as the structure it all fits around. As a reminder, Pete has nominated this song from 1991, written by Tom Petty and Geoff Lynn.
Learning To Fly / Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Celebration Day / Led Zeppelin
On this stand-alone episode of The Music Labyrinth, we are making our way through some songs of celebration, transition and ending and we just listened to Celebration Day from Led Zeppelin's third album. The song speaks about dancing and singing in celebration and being in the promised land. Which, I think anyway, takes us close enough to the idea of dancing outdoors in Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois.
Dancing In The Street / Martha Reeves & The Vandllas
Let’s Groove / Earth Wind & Fire
One particular aspect of the freedom we are acknowledging and celebrating on The Music Labyrinth tonight is a privilege which has been brought into sharp focus because of the recent impact COVID-19 has had the concept. So, in a spirit of optimism which is appropriate in a show like this one, lets celebrate the concept of roaming if you want to.
Roam / The B-52s
We appear to have danced and roamed into 1967 and found our way to a place of doubtful geographic location, but of absolutely certain lightheartedness. Welcome to Itchycoo Park.
Itchycoo Park / The Small Faces
That was the Small Faces with Itchycoo Park. In the very same month of the very same year in the very same city - but at a different studio - The Zombies recorded this anthem to the promise of easy living.
Time Of The Season / The Zombies
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth. I trust, after the music we have enjoyed so far on the program you are blissed out and full of gladness. Of course we shouldn’t overlook that transitions, no matter how welcome, often involve leaving some things behind you. So, even very welcome change is not without its occasional share of melancholy. The next song we are about to hear reflects that concept. I had never heard it until it was suggested to me for this episode by my youngest daughter. This will be about my 6th listen, but its already firming as a personal favourite. This is Regina Spektor and Small Town Moon.
Small Town Moon / Regina Spektor
A couple of years ago, Regina Spektor recorded a cover of a Peter Gabriel song, and Peter Gabriel reciprocated, for his project Scratch My Back (And I’ll Scratch Yours). Now you should not pretend to be shocked that I have engineered my way to Peter Gabriel to close this episode. This is Episode 15. You should know by now. In 1994 Peter Gabriel contributed to an album entitled The Glory of Gershwin- celebrating the music of George Gershwin. The harmonica on this track is played by the legendary Larry Adler, and I would go so far to suggest that, of all the great vocal performances in the long career of Peter Gabriel, this is the stand-out. As always, thanks for listening to - and on this occasion, contributing to - The Music Labyrinth. To round out this special episode of transition and celebration, this is Summertime.
Summertime / Larry Adler with Peter Gabriel
Hello and welcome to what is - technically - episode 15 of The Music Labyrinth. I say "technically" because we've taken a small diversion from our usual format, which we will return to next week. The reason for our detour is because the date of broadcast of this episode coincides with a personal boundary for me between a state of full time work and a state of voluntary full time non-work. So, this week we are all celebrating with me - HOORAY! - and focusing on songs of celebration, liberation, transition or ending. Another slight departure from the norm this week is that the songs we will be playing are already linked with each other in that they have been either selected by me or nominated by you, so the usual first degree of separation will not necessarily apply this week. But - where a linkage is apparent - I will try to highlight it as we go. We kicked of with The Clash from 1982 and Should I Stay Or Should I Go because, despite it being a question I did not ask myself more than a single time, it still marks a nice place to start this small journey. The Clash were often lined up alongside The Jam in comparative critiques about which was the best band. I don’t think anyone knows who won. But we do know that Paul Weller from The Jam went on to significant achievements in rock music, one of which was this song about self-empowerment and not necessarily accepting the status quo. Its also, I reckon, a song with a celebratory air. Here is the Style Council with Walls Come Tumbling Down.
Walls Come Tumbling Down / The Style Council
Independence Day (Live) / Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band
You are back with The Music Labyrinth and just before the break, from the 40 track album Live 1975-85, that was Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band with Independence Day, a song about taking steps in a new direction along life’s highway. As it turns out, the internet is full of references to Bruce Springsteen covering David Bowie songs and vice versa, which provides me with the key to our next door. If you are talking about music about transition, its hard to go past this.
Changes / David Bowie
A great supporter of this show is our listener Pancho Pete. Pete is also a person who has trodden the path I am about to embark upon, and so his is advice that I will heed. Pete suggests that transition of this nature can require a person to re-learn how to go about their life without a full time vocation as the structure it all fits around. As a reminder, Pete has nominated this song from 1991, written by Tom Petty and Geoff Lynn.
Learning To Fly / Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Celebration Day / Led Zeppelin
On this stand-alone episode of The Music Labyrinth, we are making our way through some songs of celebration, transition and ending and we just listened to Celebration Day from Led Zeppelin's third album. The song speaks about dancing and singing in celebration and being in the promised land. Which, I think anyway, takes us close enough to the idea of dancing outdoors in Detroit, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois.
Dancing In The Street / Martha Reeves & The Vandllas
Let’s Groove / Earth Wind & Fire
One particular aspect of the freedom we are acknowledging and celebrating on The Music Labyrinth tonight is a privilege which has been brought into sharp focus because of the recent impact COVID-19 has had the concept. So, in a spirit of optimism which is appropriate in a show like this one, lets celebrate the concept of roaming if you want to.
Roam / The B-52s
We appear to have danced and roamed into 1967 and found our way to a place of doubtful geographic location, but of absolutely certain lightheartedness. Welcome to Itchycoo Park.
Itchycoo Park / The Small Faces
That was the Small Faces with Itchycoo Park. In the very same month of the very same year in the very same city - but at a different studio - The Zombies recorded this anthem to the promise of easy living.
Time Of The Season / The Zombies
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth. I trust, after the music we have enjoyed so far on the program you are blissed out and full of gladness. Of course we shouldn’t overlook that transitions, no matter how welcome, often involve leaving some things behind you. So, even very welcome change is not without its occasional share of melancholy. The next song we are about to hear reflects that concept. I had never heard it until it was suggested to me for this episode by my youngest daughter. This will be about my 6th listen, but its already firming as a personal favourite. This is Regina Spektor and Small Town Moon.
Small Town Moon / Regina Spektor
A couple of years ago, Regina Spektor recorded a cover of a Peter Gabriel song, and Peter Gabriel reciprocated, for his project Scratch My Back (And I’ll Scratch Yours). Now you should not pretend to be shocked that I have engineered my way to Peter Gabriel to close this episode. This is Episode 15. You should know by now. In 1994 Peter Gabriel contributed to an album entitled The Glory of Gershwin- celebrating the music of George Gershwin. The harmonica on this track is played by the legendary Larry Adler, and I would go so far to suggest that, of all the great vocal performances in the long career of Peter Gabriel, this is the stand-out. As always, thanks for listening to - and on this occasion, contributing to - The Music Labyrinth. To round out this special episode of transition and celebration, this is Summertime.
Summertime / Larry Adler with Peter Gabriel